Jude, you've ask a very good question. And I will give you a very good simple answer.
Biblical theology is nothing but man trying to figure out what God is saying in His Word by using his(man's methods) ... there you have.:ROFL:
Man has developed a systemtic strategy by which he tries to be smarter than God, in determining what God is /was thinking when He said such and such, what God meant by certain scripture passages in the Bible, certain stories.
And most of this is doesn't mean a toot, because when a person gets so involved with all this theology, they tend to lose the flavor of the Spirit of the Lord revaling works. And they arewithout the power of revealation of the Holy Spirit..
I get in so much trouble with my college profs because I refuse to understand scripture as they do, because I rely totally on the Holy Spirit of God to REVEAL to me what He is saying, and not by looking at all this other stuff.
God's word has more than one meaning and application, and it does not depend upon man's INTERPRETATION, BUT SOLELY ON GOD'S REVALATION.
So, you asked what is Biblical theology?...
Answer: Man's study, and interpretation, and understanding of what "man thinks God means and is saying in His Word. Man trying to know God's ways, and His toughts without God's help.
So what's my prize? I wanna trip to Hawaii:rocknroll::dancingp::yay:
Oh, I forgot the other part of your question. What might a person learn from it.
Answer: I say abolutely Nothing, but confusion between God and man. This is why there is some much biblical confusion on this board, many are relying on the odctrinal theology of the different thologians they study under instaed of studying the word for themsleves and depending on the HOly Spirit to reveal to them what God is saying, THEN check it out with a couple of theologian writings to see if things are in check.
One thing you can learn from it is how far away you are drawn from the power of the Holy Spirit... this is my experienc and I found myself becoming all book and no godly power, wisdom, knowledge or true understanding. And there is a difference between man's wisdom knowledge,a nd understanding of God's word.
Theology gets you strung out into another gospel...
Since Theology is the study of God I would assume that Biblical Theology is using the Bible to study God. But I don't think that is what you mean.
Here's how I see Biblical Theology: The Bible is not about Judaism or Christianity. It is not about how to be saved or how to know God. The Bible is not about the angels and demons or about the past and the future. It is specifically a revelation of the plan of God regarding His Son, Jesus Christ, to be the Redeemer of His creation. Everything in the Bible is about Jesus in one way or another. The Truths of the Bible reveal the nature and character of Jesus, His purpose and the means by which He carried it out. Whenever teaching takes a direction that is not focused on the theme of the Bible, the Messiah, then it is falling outside of Biblical Theology.
Biblical theology is a discipline within Christian theology which studies the Bible from the perspective of understanding the progressive history of God revealing Himself to humanity following the Fall and throughout the Old Testament and New Testament. It particularly focuses on the epochs of the Old Testament in order to understand how each part of it ultimately points forward to fulfillment in the life mission of Jesus Christ. Because scholars have tended to use the term in different ways, biblical theology has been notoriously difficult to define.
Biblical theology seeks to understand a certain passage in the Bible in light of all of the biblical history leading up to it and later biblical references to that passage. It asks questions of the text such as:
How much does this person or group know about the attributes of God?
To what extent are God's plans revealed, such as future plans of sending Jesus as the messiah?
How has Israel responded to God's interactions with them up to this point?
How is a given theme or subject progressively developed throughout redemption history?
Biblical theology seeks to put individual texts in their historical context since what came before them is the foundation on which they are laid and what comes after is what they anticipate. Biblical theology is sometimes called the "history of special revelation" since it deals with the unfolding and expanding nature of revelation as history progresses through the Bible.
The motivation for this branch of theology comes from such passages as Luke 24.27: "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] explained to [the disciples] what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." The assumption of this text seems to be that the Old Testament anticipated the messiah and that Jesus fulfilled those prophecies. Thus, Biblical theologians suggest that, in order to understand the intended meaning of a Biblical text, one must understand what the text points toward or back to. For instance, when reading about the sacrificial system in the Old Testament, Biblical theologians follow the trajectory the Bible lays out for that system (namely, pointing to Jesus as the true sacrifice), and likewise, when a New Testament text refers back to the Old Testament (for example, Jesus being the son of David and heir of his covenant), they try to understand that text against its proper, specified background.
Biblical theology can be compared with and is complemented by systematic theology, in that the former focuses on historical progression throughout the Bible while the latter focuses on thematic progression. Systematic theology deals with a single topic in each place it is dealt with, whereas biblical theology seeks to follow the flow of "redemptive narrative" as it unfolds. In this way, biblical theology reflects the diversity of the Bible, while systematic theology reflects its unity.
Though most speak of biblical theology as a particular method or emphasis within biblical studies, some scholars have also used the term in reference to its distinctive content. In this understanding, biblical theology is limited to a collation and restatement of biblical data, without the logical analysis and dialectical correlation between texts that Systematic theology emphasizes.
The Christian concept of progressive revelation differs from the Islamic understanding in which successive revelations of God might annul former revelations, completely replacing them with a new truth. The Christian model within biblical theology sees the concept of revelation as progressive; each new truth supports, expands, and stands upon former revelations of God's truth like brick laying. This progressive revelation ultimately begans in Christ, and ends with the New Testament acts of the Apostles under the direction of the Holy Spirit awaiting the Second Coming of Jesus.
Though the distinction existed prior, the beginning of biblical theology as a significant and separate discipline can be traced to J. P. Gabler�s 1787 address upon his inauguration as professor at the University of Altdorf, when he used the term and called for a separate discipline apart from the dogmatic emphasis of the confessions.[3] This concern developed in the history of Israel's religion school, but the term eventually passed into its present usage.
Today, the discipline of biblical theology is primarily associated with viewpoints that also adhere to a belief in biblical inerrancy and biblical inspiration. Consequently, the work of Walter Brueggemann, Rudolf Bultmann, and other such scholars who reject these beliefs is not dealt with in the discipline. While it does engage with the work of philosophy and cultural and personal experience, it gives the Bible priority over each of these other lines of thought. Within this framework, biblical theology has been mostly carried out as either New Testament theology or Old Testament theology.
The work of Geerhardus Vos (Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments), Herman Ridderbos (The Coming of the Kingdom), Meredith Kline (Kingdom Prologue) Graeme Goldsworthy (According to Plan, Gospel and Kingdom), and Vaughan Roberts (God's Big Picture) have helped popularize this approach to the Bible.[citation needed] They summarize the message of the Bible as being about "God's people in God's place under God's rule and blessing" (in Graeme Goldsworthy, Gospel and Kingdom, Paternoster, 1981).
Hey !!! Excellant Info and Insight given here...Thanxs Ella and Thunder...Two Completely Differant Approches and Perspectives and All of it is GOOD...
Ella...you are forever Amazing me Girl with your Wit and Knowlege..Luv the info supplied....:applause:...but now dont let my compliment go to yer Head now...:ROFL...:nahnah:
Thunder...Yup !!! It is all about Jesus...and you Sir never seace to Amaze me also...I truely enjoy your Perception and Understanding of ones searching question and sharing your Acumulated Knowlege...
Thanxs again Lady and Gent ... :-)...and have a Blessed evening...xo
What is theology? Simply studying the word of God to understand it to its utmost -- nothing more, nothing less. Systematic and Biblical theology are both good. There is no real reason to discard understanding (head knowledge) for application (heart knowledge). God gave us both a mind and heart. I can get both out of my studies and I would hope that everyone else would, too. To understand God's plan from the beginning is to be brought into the awe of God; to understand what God would have you do is to be reliant upon him for each breath. Both go hand in hand.
Theology is not inherently prideful, though of course it can be twisted to become man-praising instead of God-praising, just like anything else can be twisted.
Yah...Good points...Thanxs SilverFire...and I totaly agree with your last comment...
I've had some persons tell me its just Theories and has no Substance...I my self have many Theories...:rolleyes:..about many things...But none of that out wieghs the Substance of the LORD Jesus* and how His Spirit leads and teaches...xo
